Like most programs you pay for, Adobe Acrobatrequires that you enter a unique serial number before using it. So, before you can install or reinstall Adobe Acrobat, you'll need to find the serial number that came with the program.
If you've lost your serial number, there's a very good chance you can retrieve it but only if Adobe Acrobat is still installed and the computer it's on is working.
You might be able to find your Adobe Acrobat serial number if you've uninstalled the program but only if the serial number information was left in the Windows Registry. We'll go over everything you need to know below.
The Adobe Acrobat serial number is actually more of a product key than a serial number but the terms are often used interchangeably.
The easiest way to find your Adobe Acrobat DC or Acrobat X serial number is with a product key finder program.
Product key finder programs automatically search your computer for the product keys and serial numbers that your software programs store in the registry, Adobe Acrobat included.
See our Free Product Key Finders list for a number of programs that do just this. Not only that, they'll find your Acrobat serial for free. Most of the programs in that list are small and really easy to use.
The programs we've linked to will find the serial number for any recent edition of Acrobat, including Adobe Acrobat DC (Pro or Standard), Adobe Acrobat X, Adobe Acrobat 9, etc.
For example, Belarc Advisor, one of our favorite key finder tools (and the program shown in the example below), will properly locate the serial number for any version of Adobe Acrobat you have. If you find that another does for sure, let me know so I can keep this page updated.
The serial numbers in this picture have been greyed out but you'll see yours listed on the right side in plain text.
Most product key finder programs are designed to find serial numbers and product keys for operating systems, like Windows 10 or Windows 8, but some of them find serial numbers for several other programs as well — programs like Adobe Acrobat.
While a keyfinder tool is certainly the easiest way to do this, no, it's not the only way.
If you're a little more technically inclined, there are a few additional ways to get your hands on a lost Acrobat serial number:
It'd be unwise of me to skip the obvious — maybe Adobe can help! Depending on how, when, and from whom you purchased Adobe Acrobat, you may be able to contact Adobe and get your Acrobat serial number from them.
Visit Adobe's Find Your Serial Number page for more help.
Fortunately, the exact registry key that stores your Adobe Acrobat serial number is well known, as is a database file that stores it.
If you're comfortable in the Windows Registry, your Adobe Acrobat serial is located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. Below is the exact location, depending on the version of the program and whether or not you're running a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows.
64-bit:
32-bit:
If you see multiple folders under Adobe Acrobat, replace 11.0 in the path above to whatever version of Acrobat you have.
Your other option is to grab the cache.db file from C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesAdobeAdobe PCDcache and open it with any free SQLite database viewing tool.
Please know that this serial number is encrypted, meaning that what you find in the registry key or the database file is not the literal serial number you can enter to install Adobe Acrobat. You'll first have to decrypt the serial number.
The Adobe Acrobat serial number decryption process is fairly complex and has been well documented in this Super User thread, so we won't reinvent the wheel and post it here.
Don't do that. There's no other way to put it.
While you may have come across Adobe Acrobat key generator programs or other kinds of Adobe Acrobat cracks, please know that these are not legal ways of obtaining a working serial number.
The only legal way of installing this program is by using a valid Adobe Acrobat serial number obtained through a legal purchase of the software.
If all else fails, you may be left with the final option of buying a new copy of the software. Amazon has great prices on most versions of Adobe Acrobat, plus options for previously used boxed copies as well.
Another option is to abandon Adobe Acrobat altogether and choose a free tool that does the same thing. Seriously. While not as robust, there are a number of other options out there.
Check out our list of the Best Free PDF Editors for some Acrobat alternatives that let you modify a PDF. Also see How to Print to PDF for multiple free ways to make a PDF file from any file or program.
A serial number is a unique, identifying number or group of numbers and letters assigned to an individual piece of hardware or software. Other things have serial numbers as well, though, including banknotes and other similar documents.
The idea behind serial numbers is to identify a specific item, much like how a fingerprint identifies a specific person. Instead of some names or numbers that specify a whole range of products, a serial number is intended to provide a unique number to one device at a time.
Hardware serial numbers are embedded in the device, while software or virtual serial numbers are sometimes applied to the user who will be using the software. In other words, a serial number used for software programs are tied to the purchaser, not that specific copy of the program.
The term serial number is often shortened to just S/N or SN, especially when the word precedes an actual serial number on something. Serial numbers are also sometimes, but not often, referred to as serial codes.
It's important to distinguish serial numbers from other identifying codes or numbers. In short, serial numbers are unique.
For example, a model number for a router might be EA2700 but that's true for every single Linksys EA2700 router; the model numbers are identical while each of their serial numbers is unique to each particular component.
As an example, if Linksys sold 100 EA2700 routers in one day from their website, every one of those devices would have 'EA2700' somewhere on them and they would look identical to the naked eye. However, each device, when first built, had serial numbers printed on most of the components that are not the same as the others bought that day (or any day).
UPC Codes are common as well but are actually not unique like serial numbers. UPC Codes are different than serial numbers because UPC Codes are not unique to each individual piece of hardware or software, as serial numbers are.
The ISSN used for magazines and ISBN for books is different as well because they're used for whole issues or periodicals and aren't unique for every instance of the copy.
You've probably seen serial numbers many times before. Nearly every piece of the computer has a serial number including your monitor, keyboard, mouse and sometimes even your entire computer system as a whole. Internal computer components like hard drives, optical drives, and motherboards also feature serial numbers.
Serial numbers are used by hardware manufacturers to track individual items, usually for quality control.
For example, if a piece of hardware is recalled for some reason, customers are usually made aware of which particular devices need service by being provided a range of serial numbers.
Serial numbers are also used in non-tech environments like when keeping an inventory of tools borrowed in a lab or shop floor. It's easy to identify which devices need to be returned or which ones have been misplaced because each of them can be identified by their unique serial number.
Serial numbers for software programs are usually used to help ensure that the program's installation is only performed one time and only on the purchaser's computer. Once the serial number is used and registered with the manufacturer, any future attempt to use that same serial number can raise a red flag since no two serial numbers (from the same software) are alike.
If you're planning on reinstalling a software program you've purchased, you'll sometimes need the serial number to do so. See our guide on how to find a serial key if you need to reinstall some software.
Sometimes, you might find that a software program can attempt to make a serial number for you that you can use to activate a program illegally (since the code wasn't legally purchased). These programs are called keygens (key generators) and should be avoided.
A serial number for a piece of software is not usually the same as a product key but they are sometimes used interchangeably.